Ohio Pays the Price for EPA's War on Coal

edbell | 07 August, 2012 15:09

President Obama and his comrade in ideology, EPA Director Lisa
Jackson, are witnessing the fruits of their war on coal. Real people are
experiencing real unemployment in Ohio and many other states as
coal-fired electric generation plants close. 57 plants have closed or are slated to close
in the next couple years, tossing thousands of people to the curb, even worse, they will
join millions of other despondent Americans who are dependent on
unemployment compensation and later, state and federal aid. If only
Uncle Sam, or should I say, Barack can make these folks permanent government
dependents the economy will soar. As we've been told by Congressman
Steny Hoyer, food stamps are a great way to stimulate the U.S. economy.

Every Buckeye should find the MACT Utility Regulations responsible for
these closings appalling. Ohio has everything we need to be
prosperous–right under our feet. Washington is determined to prevent
Ohioans from accessing our energy, and by extension, prosperity. The
federal government is halting exploration, development and extraction of
natural gas using hydraulic fracturing (fracking) and placing extreme
restrictions on the use of coal in our power plants. OhioAmerican
energy announced the closure of their Jefferson County,
Ohio coal mining operation on July 31. According to Mike Carey,
chairman of the Ohio Coal Association. "...once people start having to
spend more for electricity - which they
will - there's nobody to blame except for the administration." As the
Mandel for U.S Senate campaign explains, for every coal mining job lost,
eight other jobs are affected. Senator Sherrod Brown's environmental zealotry can best be described as a "Third-World-USA" policy. He either doesn't know, or does not believe prosperity is the best way to ensure a clean environment.

86% of Ohio's electricity is generated by coal-fired plants. Should electricity ratepayers be concerned about their electric rates? Yes, says Andy Ott with PJM Interconnection, the company that operates electric grids in 13 states, including Ohio. We shall will pay dearly for power generated by natural gas. According to an in-depth article from Fox News, "The market-clearing price for new 2015 capacity – almost all natural gas –
was $136 per megawatt. That’s eight times higher than the price for
2012, which was just $16 per megawatt." Somehow, I think even the most ardent environmentalists will find this a devastating blow to their business or family budgets.

The last three months have been a non-stop spin machine, seeking deceptive ways to soften or omit the harsh reality of energy prices that shall "necessarily skyrocket." Will these famous words be on display in the Obama Presidential Library? I think not.